Monday, May 10, 2010
Faisal Shahzad, you are so last week. There was exactly one television truck outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse at lunch time and no one carrying a camera for a living was anywhere in the vicinity. So, Mr. Shahzad, unless you were brought up on 75th Street and West End Avenue you might as well be squatting in a cave in Tora Bora.
Noodle King Restaurant, 19 Henry Street, sits at the corner of Catherine Street. Now, Mother Ruth Gotthelf moved to 121 Henry Street, between Essex Street and Pike Street, after she was born at 13 Essex Street and that means born at 13 Essex Street, not brought home there from the maternity ward. And, you should know that 121 Henry Street wasn’t just your ordinary decrepit lower East Side tenement. No sir. As she is quick to remind you, next door, 119 Henry Street, had an elevator, which makes a big difference when 6 kids, parents and an occasional boarder lived in an apartment with the bathroom in the hall.
Noodle King is a small square room; if every seat were filled there would be a 50 uncomfortable people in the restaurant. Instead, there were 5 to 8 people eating there with me. However, there was a very active take-out business. Mirrors lined two interior walls and about 60 3" wide fluorescent papers strips were pasted to the top edge of the mirrors advertising specials in one of the many languages that I cannot comprehend.
While Noodle King advertises Hong Kong cuisine, I chose chicken egg foo yong ($5.25), which I doubt ever crossed the Pacific Ocean. It was a good choice, with a large portion of white rice and a fragrant broth included. Much of the food preparation was done in the front window by two men, but there was a kitchen in back as well. Tea was in a glass and service was attentive, which you had to expect with so few people at tables. I had enough time and space to make headway on the Sunday crossword puzzle before returning to do justice.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Hoy Wong, 81 Mott Street, is the first restaurant you reach when turning off Canal Street onto Mott Street, but it was near empty when I walked a little after 1 PM. It’s small, with 4 round tables and 6 rectangular tables. It only had one chef standing in the window amid the hanging ducks, chickens and pork. The near-omnipresent illuminated color photograph on the wall was only 3' x 4' and showed the Great Wall from an uninteresting angle.
I ordered roast duck chow fun ($7.25) and it was all right. Duck in Chinatown, though widely served, is often iffy. Peking Duck House and other top end joints serving Peking duck usually do a fine job of cooking off the fat, then trimming before serving. The regular restaurants, which are likely to serve roast duck over rice or in soup, take less pains. Maybe fatty duck is a delicacy and that’s what you are going to get. The many small pieces of duck in Hoy Wong’s chow fun were tasty and not particularly fatty.
The high spot of lunch was the next table, where 4 Chinese people, two couples seemingly, sat down and spent many minutes discussing the menu (in Chinese) before asking the waiter over for advice, just like four women from Scarsdale.
Meanwhile, it seems that Faisal (Mr. Parking Space Terrorist) Shahzad is not headed to Larry King when the FBI is through with him, because only a CNN truck remains near the federal courthouse which would be unnecessary if he was going to their studios for a respite after answering tough questions.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
J & B Seafood Restaurant, 39-41 East Broadway, also called Jing Bin Seafood Restaurant on its business card, is up one flight of stairs. It is medium large, with chandeliers of almost every size on the ceiling. The chairs are draped in a tangerine-colored brocade cloth. It was near full today; I saw only Chinese people including several handfuls of children, a rare sight in a restaurant on a school day. One of the managers suggested they were new immigrants to which I countered that it was Chairman Mao’s birthday.
Along with almost every other Chinatown restaurant with seafood in its name, it serves dim sum at lunch. It also had a table in the center where two women cooked a variety of dishes to order, including sauteed greens, omelets, clams and periwinkles (snails). After getting sticky buns and shrimp dumplings from a cart, I went over to the table to inspect the offerings. While trying to decide, a cart wheeled by with chicken feet and I directed the driver over to my table. I had committed to chicken feet several restaurants ago and now was the time. They were braised in a mild brownish tomatoish sauce which I spooned over the sticky rice I added to the table while eating the chicken feet. I finished off with beef rolls, three large, steamed rice noodles rolled around chopped meat. The bill was $10.75; no one mentioned weekday discounts, but the pricing was in line with other comparable establishments.
As I went by, one still photographer from the Boston Herald took a few pictures of the inactive front door of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse and then walked away, leaving the sidewalks completely empty of terrorists and the people who love them.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Several dear readers have expressed health concerns over my ingestion of oil and salt-ridden Chinese food virtually every week day at lunch. As LeBron James said, I don’t want to be cavalier, but where would that leave French fries?
Others want to know what I will do when I reach the heavenly goal of 72 Chinese restaurants. I’ve considered expanding into Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Malaysian venues, which are found in varying numbers in Chinatown. Or, return to some of the more impressive establishments and start digging deeper into their menus.
America’s Favorite Epidemiologist fears expansion, but of my waistline, not my inventory of cuisines. I’m considering my alternatives with D-Day about 2 weeks away.
Excellent Pork Chop House, 3 Doyers Street, is a relatively small, characterless joint where today I had a bowl of fish ball noodle soup ($4.95 including tax or ignoring tax). Doyers Street itself is much more interesting. It starts at a right angle to Canal Street, just above Chatham Square. It runs about 100 feet and then makes a crooked 90 degree turn to the right (north) and ends another 80 feet away at Pell Street. Because of this bend, Doyers Street was supposedly at the center of tong warfare in the late 19th century, because of the ability to ambush the enemy coming around the corner. Now, the local post office is on Doyers Street as is Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest dim sum house in Chinatown having opened in 1920. What’s fascinating is that the short leg of Doyers Street leading to Pell Street has 7 barber/beauty shops and, on Pell Street clustered around the intersection with Doyers Street, there are at least 9 more barber/beauty shops. Should this be my next obsession? Every month or so, get a haircut in a different shop. It would probably be better for my health unless they put MSG in the hair tonic.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Our dear friends, David and Kathleen Mervin, are here from the north of England to meet their new-born granddaughter, Charlotte Gloria, resident of Brooklyn. America's Favorite Epidemiologist and I met the proud grandparents for lunch at a café in Brooklyn Heights, joined by Kathleen's sister Judy and her husband Henry, a delightful couple themselves. Lack of time, unfortunately, prevented us ending a lovely afternoon with a walk on the Promenade.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Eighteenth Week
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Golden Unicorn Restaurant, 18 East Broadway, is one of the best known restaurants in Chinatown. It is favorably reviewed in the Michelin Red Guide and other venues. It is a member of La Chaine Des Rotisseurs which is to restaurants what the Jesuits are to Christians. The restaurant is on the second and third floors of a commercial building. Weekday lunch time is devoted to dim sum and only the second floor is usually open. The room, near square, 40-50 feet per side, is very decorated with the chairs covered entirely in yellow-gold brocade. The mandatory phoenix and dragon had the extra touch of a blinking eye, green for the phoenix, red for the dragon. Almost all the seats were occupied by Chinese in groups of 4 to 8. Counting my imaginary playmate, there were only two at my table. The high ceilings diminished the impact of the drapes, sconces, and illuminated pillars. The three flat-screen televisions were turned to CNN, not the usual fare.
About 5 women at a time were rolling carts around and the food was very good to excellent. I had shrimp/pork shu mei (4 pieces), shrimp/vegetable dumpling (3 pieces), baked triangular roast pork buns (3 pieces) (best in show) and 3 spring rolls. This totaled $11.50 and tea was $1 more. I was sorry I was alone (my imaginary playmate wasn’t hungry), because I would have liked to try more dishes. Noodle and rice dishes and main courses could also be ordered from a menu on the table.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I did not have lunch today with Faisal Shahzad, the man under arrest for the unsuccessful car bombing in Times Square, although his presence infused the neighborhood. As I went to lunch, and returned later, the streets and sidewalk near the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse around the corner were loaded with reporters, videographers, photographers and the merely curious awaiting the comings and goings of Mr. Shahzad as he gets acquainted with the nice folks in the Southern District of New York. There were about 10 trucks from TV stations, with booms sticking up in the air or satellite dishes on their roofs, and more than 2 dozen tripods with video cameras mounted aimed at the front door of the courthouse. Did they expect him hzad to come waltzing in and out, under his own power, ready for his 15 years-to-life moment of fame? "Hi. Is Geraldo here? I’d really like to speak to Geraldo first." You’ll see it all tonight at 5 and 6 and 10 and 11, at the very least.
Buddha Bodai Vegetarian Restaurant, 5 Mott Street, is a certified Kosher Chinese restaurant, the only one in Chinatown, as far as I know. Vegetarian Dim Sum House, 24Pell Street, has a similar menu, but has not sought (or received) Kosher certification. Both restaurants are not only meatless, they are vegan. Buddha Bodai had signs on the walls and in the window promoting its vegan ice cream and vegan cheese cake. There are some lines, however, I will not cross.
The neatly-furnished medium-sized room was busy and occupied by Chinese, regular Americans and observant Jews eating dishes simulating lamb, chicken, beef and fish made out of gluten or soy or vegetables. The lunch menu is $6.95 including soup or spring roll, white or brown rice, tea too. Dim sum can also be ordered from a menu. I had General Tso’s Vegetarian Chicken which wasn’t bad. Whatever made up the 11 or 12 chicken-nugget-sized chicken imitations, lightly breaded in a mildly-spiced sauce, could pass for chicken if you were concentrating on Calvin Trillin in this week’s New Yorker. Even if you were not diverted from the plate in front of you, you would not be easily convinced that it wasn’t chicken.
My choice of the Kosher food at Buddha Bodai was not an ironic nod toward Mr. Shahzad, but a small tribute to my dinner companions tonight – four in-laws, three of whom were yeshiva educated.
One note about the decor at Buddha Bodai. Its back wall is almost entirely taken with an illuminated color photograph (maybe 3' x 8') of a stately building standing behind a big garden, not the Li River for a change. Where or what was this building? The Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, a 19th century Shanghai municipal building? Would you believe the Colorado State Capitol in Denver? It seems the owner visited and liked the scene.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Well, it’s happened. Just before leaving the office today, I reprinted the list of 58 Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at this year to avoid duplication before hitting the magic number. So, when I was on Elizabeth Street wondering if I had missed any restaurant south of Canal Street and I caught the name Pearl River, I knew I had not been to the Pearl River Restaurant. However, as I was finishing my lunch, shrimps with lobster sauce ($6.95 with soup), I saw that the menu said South China Garden Restaurant, 22 Elizabeth Street, where I had been less than two weeks ago. Pearl River is the name of a retail store nearby, but catching sight of it was sufficient for me to ignore the big, bright yellow sign running over the front of the store that said South China Garden Restaurant. Next time, I’ll have to ignore my peripheral vision. This lunch won’t count in the standings, although otherwise repectable.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mr. Shahzad must be lunching elsewhere, although the group (less than a crowd now) of media folk outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse, around the corner, were still waiting in anticipation at mid-day, as they have all week. Unaccompanied and unshackled, I went to Big Wing Wong Restaurant, 102 Mott Street, a derivative of Big Wong at 67 Mott Street. The restaurant is about 4 times as long as it is wide. Dozens of fluorescent paper strips hung on the wall promoted special dishes, only in Chinese. All the cooking was done by four men in the front menu, with the cooked ducks, spare ribs and chickens hanging at eye level.
I ordered Spicy Fried Beef Chow Fun ($7.25), which tasted just like regular beef chow fun, one of my favorite dishes anyway. Unlike most of the Chinatown restaurants at lunchtime, Big Wing Wong was not crowded; it never approached being ½ full. This allowed me to sit and do the entire crossword puzzle without interfering with the flow of business.
I stopped in front of the (regular) courthouse to speak to Wen Qin (last name withheld), a young man, maybe 20 years old, wearing a home-made sandwich board topped by a cross. He wants to pursue a case against the World Health Organization and the US Center for Disease Control, because, he alleges, they have misled the public on the subjects of Avian Flu, Swine Flu and SARS. He believes that people’s physiques determine their immunity and, thus, their susceptibility to these illnesses. The growing spread of these illnesses, according to my young friend, is "the proliferation of sexual behavior in society," resulting in the release (loss) of semen, "the major ‘energy’ resource of human beings." To protect our health, "all of us should restrain sexual behavior, cherish our ‘energy’!" I returned to my desk in deep thought.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Few Faisal followers remained in front of the federal courthouse around the corner. The large media contingent (which got smaller each day this week) must have heard that immediately after he finishes his interrogation by the FBI, brother Faisal will be appearing directly on the Larry King Show, without stopping to meet new friends in the federal courthouse.
The other day, I repeated myself by accident when I did not lift mine eyes above the front door to read the big sign, which said, in Chinese of course, you’ve been here already dummy. But, today, because I read the big sign over the door, I returned to 103-105 Mott Street, which is no longer reads Dunhuang Seafood Restaurant, but now proclaims Royal Seafood Restaurant. Operationally, it seemed the same, although it was even more crowded. Five or so women rolled their carts around while waiters scurried to get special orders. The 3 flat screen televisions were all showing the same Chinese soap opera, with Chinese subtitles.
I had shrimp rolls (rice noodle crepe), steamed vegetable dumplings, very sticky rice (stickiest so far), spring rolls and meat rolls (same rice noodle crepe as the shrimp). Everything was very good. I was told that lower prices apply Monday through Friday; the sticky rice was $3.75, all the other dishes were $2. On the way out, I was assured by the cashier that there was, in fact, a new owner. Back at my desk, I compared the two business cards, which looked nothing alike in spite of having the same telephone and fax numbers. I checked with Wikipedia to make sure Dunhuang doesn’t mean Royal and learned that Dunhuang is an ancient city in northwestern China, in Gansu province, not far from Mongolia, on the old Silk Road. It is about 1,600 miles from the Pacific Ocean which is a good reason drop the connection to seafood.
When I returned to the courthouse, I was pleased to see that Wen Qin brought a chair to make it easier to keep his vigil. I hope he is using sun block.
The Golden Unicorn Restaurant, 18 East Broadway, is one of the best known restaurants in Chinatown. It is favorably reviewed in the Michelin Red Guide and other venues. It is a member of La Chaine Des Rotisseurs which is to restaurants what the Jesuits are to Christians. The restaurant is on the second and third floors of a commercial building. Weekday lunch time is devoted to dim sum and only the second floor is usually open. The room, near square, 40-50 feet per side, is very decorated with the chairs covered entirely in yellow-gold brocade. The mandatory phoenix and dragon had the extra touch of a blinking eye, green for the phoenix, red for the dragon. Almost all the seats were occupied by Chinese in groups of 4 to 8. Counting my imaginary playmate, there were only two at my table. The high ceilings diminished the impact of the drapes, sconces, and illuminated pillars. The three flat-screen televisions were turned to CNN, not the usual fare.
About 5 women at a time were rolling carts around and the food was very good to excellent. I had shrimp/pork shu mei (4 pieces), shrimp/vegetable dumpling (3 pieces), baked triangular roast pork buns (3 pieces) (best in show) and 3 spring rolls. This totaled $11.50 and tea was $1 more. I was sorry I was alone (my imaginary playmate wasn’t hungry), because I would have liked to try more dishes. Noodle and rice dishes and main courses could also be ordered from a menu on the table.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I did not have lunch today with Faisal Shahzad, the man under arrest for the unsuccessful car bombing in Times Square, although his presence infused the neighborhood. As I went to lunch, and returned later, the streets and sidewalk near the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse around the corner were loaded with reporters, videographers, photographers and the merely curious awaiting the comings and goings of Mr. Shahzad as he gets acquainted with the nice folks in the Southern District of New York. There were about 10 trucks from TV stations, with booms sticking up in the air or satellite dishes on their roofs, and more than 2 dozen tripods with video cameras mounted aimed at the front door of the courthouse. Did they expect him hzad to come waltzing in and out, under his own power, ready for his 15 years-to-life moment of fame? "Hi. Is Geraldo here? I’d really like to speak to Geraldo first." You’ll see it all tonight at 5 and 6 and 10 and 11, at the very least.
Buddha Bodai Vegetarian Restaurant, 5 Mott Street, is a certified Kosher Chinese restaurant, the only one in Chinatown, as far as I know. Vegetarian Dim Sum House, 24Pell Street, has a similar menu, but has not sought (or received) Kosher certification. Both restaurants are not only meatless, they are vegan. Buddha Bodai had signs on the walls and in the window promoting its vegan ice cream and vegan cheese cake. There are some lines, however, I will not cross.
The neatly-furnished medium-sized room was busy and occupied by Chinese, regular Americans and observant Jews eating dishes simulating lamb, chicken, beef and fish made out of gluten or soy or vegetables. The lunch menu is $6.95 including soup or spring roll, white or brown rice, tea too. Dim sum can also be ordered from a menu. I had General Tso’s Vegetarian Chicken which wasn’t bad. Whatever made up the 11 or 12 chicken-nugget-sized chicken imitations, lightly breaded in a mildly-spiced sauce, could pass for chicken if you were concentrating on Calvin Trillin in this week’s New Yorker. Even if you were not diverted from the plate in front of you, you would not be easily convinced that it wasn’t chicken.
My choice of the Kosher food at Buddha Bodai was not an ironic nod toward Mr. Shahzad, but a small tribute to my dinner companions tonight – four in-laws, three of whom were yeshiva educated.
One note about the decor at Buddha Bodai. Its back wall is almost entirely taken with an illuminated color photograph (maybe 3' x 8') of a stately building standing behind a big garden, not the Li River for a change. Where or what was this building? The Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, a 19th century Shanghai municipal building? Would you believe the Colorado State Capitol in Denver? It seems the owner visited and liked the scene.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Well, it’s happened. Just before leaving the office today, I reprinted the list of 58 Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at this year to avoid duplication before hitting the magic number. So, when I was on Elizabeth Street wondering if I had missed any restaurant south of Canal Street and I caught the name Pearl River, I knew I had not been to the Pearl River Restaurant. However, as I was finishing my lunch, shrimps with lobster sauce ($6.95 with soup), I saw that the menu said South China Garden Restaurant, 22 Elizabeth Street, where I had been less than two weeks ago. Pearl River is the name of a retail store nearby, but catching sight of it was sufficient for me to ignore the big, bright yellow sign running over the front of the store that said South China Garden Restaurant. Next time, I’ll have to ignore my peripheral vision. This lunch won’t count in the standings, although otherwise repectable.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mr. Shahzad must be lunching elsewhere, although the group (less than a crowd now) of media folk outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse, around the corner, were still waiting in anticipation at mid-day, as they have all week. Unaccompanied and unshackled, I went to Big Wing Wong Restaurant, 102 Mott Street, a derivative of Big Wong at 67 Mott Street. The restaurant is about 4 times as long as it is wide. Dozens of fluorescent paper strips hung on the wall promoted special dishes, only in Chinese. All the cooking was done by four men in the front menu, with the cooked ducks, spare ribs and chickens hanging at eye level.
I ordered Spicy Fried Beef Chow Fun ($7.25), which tasted just like regular beef chow fun, one of my favorite dishes anyway. Unlike most of the Chinatown restaurants at lunchtime, Big Wing Wong was not crowded; it never approached being ½ full. This allowed me to sit and do the entire crossword puzzle without interfering with the flow of business.
I stopped in front of the (regular) courthouse to speak to Wen Qin (last name withheld), a young man, maybe 20 years old, wearing a home-made sandwich board topped by a cross. He wants to pursue a case against the World Health Organization and the US Center for Disease Control, because, he alleges, they have misled the public on the subjects of Avian Flu, Swine Flu and SARS. He believes that people’s physiques determine their immunity and, thus, their susceptibility to these illnesses. The growing spread of these illnesses, according to my young friend, is "the proliferation of sexual behavior in society," resulting in the release (loss) of semen, "the major ‘energy’ resource of human beings." To protect our health, "all of us should restrain sexual behavior, cherish our ‘energy’!" I returned to my desk in deep thought.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Few Faisal followers remained in front of the federal courthouse around the corner. The large media contingent (which got smaller each day this week) must have heard that immediately after he finishes his interrogation by the FBI, brother Faisal will be appearing directly on the Larry King Show, without stopping to meet new friends in the federal courthouse.
The other day, I repeated myself by accident when I did not lift mine eyes above the front door to read the big sign, which said, in Chinese of course, you’ve been here already dummy. But, today, because I read the big sign over the door, I returned to 103-105 Mott Street, which is no longer reads Dunhuang Seafood Restaurant, but now proclaims Royal Seafood Restaurant. Operationally, it seemed the same, although it was even more crowded. Five or so women rolled their carts around while waiters scurried to get special orders. The 3 flat screen televisions were all showing the same Chinese soap opera, with Chinese subtitles.
I had shrimp rolls (rice noodle crepe), steamed vegetable dumplings, very sticky rice (stickiest so far), spring rolls and meat rolls (same rice noodle crepe as the shrimp). Everything was very good. I was told that lower prices apply Monday through Friday; the sticky rice was $3.75, all the other dishes were $2. On the way out, I was assured by the cashier that there was, in fact, a new owner. Back at my desk, I compared the two business cards, which looked nothing alike in spite of having the same telephone and fax numbers. I checked with Wikipedia to make sure Dunhuang doesn’t mean Royal and learned that Dunhuang is an ancient city in northwestern China, in Gansu province, not far from Mongolia, on the old Silk Road. It is about 1,600 miles from the Pacific Ocean which is a good reason drop the connection to seafood.
When I returned to the courthouse, I was pleased to see that Wen Qin brought a chair to make it easier to keep his vigil. I hope he is using sun block.
On the way
This (ad)venture offers other pleasures besides just eating lunch. Everyday, I encounter sights and sounds foreign even to the cosmopolitan reaches of the upper West Side. The shortest path to Mott Street, the traditional center of Chinatown, from my office cuts through Columbus Park, a city park/playground with basketball courts, concrete tables with embedded playing surfaces, a turf-covered playing field and equipment for the little kids. Every day, unless the weather is at its foulest, older Chinese people move like dancers silently doing their graceful exercises, while another group of black, brown and white, but not Chinese, men exercise on a sparse arrangement of horizontal and vertical iron bars, very evocative of a prison. The sight of handcuffed perps being led in and out of the Manhattan Detention Center (the Tombs familiarly), directly across from the park, strengthens this association.
Meanwhile, groups of Chinese men, three deep in some cases, surround the concrete tables watching and commenting on fiercely competitive Chinese chess games (or maybe this is the real Chinese checkers). The playing surface resembles a typical checkerboard, but it has a series of lines, straight or right angles, made of brass embedded in the squares. The moves, back and forth and sideways, elude me. Chinese only is spoken at these games, but I have no way of telling whether they are all speaking the same Chinese or whether each table attracts a different language group, e.g. Cantonese, Mandarin, Wu, Fukien or Hakka (for more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language). Whatever they are speaking, players and spectators are very engaged and disputatious, in common with almost any group of urban dwellers out of doors regardless of native tongue. Card games, more likely conducted by Chinese women, are also going on. They seem to be playing a version of rummy, but I haven’t figured it out. Betting prevails. With very few exceptions, everyone watching or playing these games is my contemporary or older, if possible.
Emerging from Columbus Park, I enjoy walking the crowded sidewalks back and forth to the restaurants, with virtually every storefront in operation, many thrusting fresh fish, t-shirts, toys, vegetables, silk scarves and baseball caps into the path of pedestrians. Individual men approach you offering, not sensemilla as they might in other neighborhoods, but genuine counterfeit wristwatches. Signs on stores convey mystery, as with the promise of the “Best Hopia” available in six flavors at an establishment that also offers Butsi, Puto, Slopao and Ticoy. This is not your cheap humor based on typographical errors from Chinese restaurant menus. This is true opaqueness, no more than a mile from where my mother was born.
Meanwhile, groups of Chinese men, three deep in some cases, surround the concrete tables watching and commenting on fiercely competitive Chinese chess games (or maybe this is the real Chinese checkers). The playing surface resembles a typical checkerboard, but it has a series of lines, straight or right angles, made of brass embedded in the squares. The moves, back and forth and sideways, elude me. Chinese only is spoken at these games, but I have no way of telling whether they are all speaking the same Chinese or whether each table attracts a different language group, e.g. Cantonese, Mandarin, Wu, Fukien or Hakka (for more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language). Whatever they are speaking, players and spectators are very engaged and disputatious, in common with almost any group of urban dwellers out of doors regardless of native tongue. Card games, more likely conducted by Chinese women, are also going on. They seem to be playing a version of rummy, but I haven’t figured it out. Betting prevails. With very few exceptions, everyone watching or playing these games is my contemporary or older, if possible.
Emerging from Columbus Park, I enjoy walking the crowded sidewalks back and forth to the restaurants, with virtually every storefront in operation, many thrusting fresh fish, t-shirts, toys, vegetables, silk scarves and baseball caps into the path of pedestrians. Individual men approach you offering, not sensemilla as they might in other neighborhoods, but genuine counterfeit wristwatches. Signs on stores convey mystery, as with the promise of the “Best Hopia” available in six flavors at an establishment that also offers Butsi, Puto, Slopao and Ticoy. This is not your cheap humor based on typographical errors from Chinese restaurant menus. This is true opaqueness, no more than a mile from where my mother was born.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Seventeenth Week
Monday, April 26, 2010
Shanghai Asian Manor, 21 Mott Street sits on top of Hop Kee sharing the same address. It is a sister to Shanghai Asian Cuisine where I ate 3 weeks ago. It turned out to be a good choice, although I went there because it was close to the courthouse and the drizzle I found on the street was not visible from the window of my office on the fifth floor, so I went without an umbrella. The restaurant is only a couple of months old and still looks fresh. There are 5 booths along one wall which caused me to reflect on the absence of booths in Chinatown restaurants, but the presence of booths in Indian restaurants throughout Manhattan. Why is that?
There were also 7 tables for four, 2 for one and 2 round tables that could hold eight. The tables and chairs were a dark-stained wood with black leather(like) upholstery. Three large, illuminated photographs of food replaced the usual pictures of the Li River, but they were easily ignored.
The menu included dim sum to order as well as a variety of dishes with Shanghai in their name. Given the weather, I ordered Shanghai Won Ton soup ($4.95) and a scallion pancake ($2.25). The soup was good, the Won Ton especially tasty with a filling that tasted like shredded chicken and spinach rather than the customary pork and leek. The scallion pancake rates special notice; it had been fried to a crisp, but just so you could break it apart, not pull it apart.
Service was uneven, however. As soon as I sat down, the waitress came to take my order, before I had opened the menu. Once I decided, though, I was left alone giving me plenty of time to reconsider without anyone approaching me. This treatment was not reserved for me alone; three Chinese women at the next table waited as long for someone to give them a check. Maybe all customers look alike.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I’ve waited for a special occasion to return to Oriental Garden Restaurant, 14 Elizabeth Street, which gets a favorable mention in the Michelin Red guide to New York. A visit from Michael Ratner is certainly special and we sat down to several dim sum dishes, shrimp/pork steamed dumpling and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, before ordering jumbo shrimps in black bean sauce, a regular main course ($18.95). This consisted of 9 jumbo shrimp in a pungent, but not overly salty, black bean sauce, stir fried with onions.
Besides the one woman rolling around the relatively small room with steamed buns and dumplings, waiters bring dim sum from the kitchen as you order them from the menu. We had a different shrimp/pork bun rolled in shredded wheat, fish dumpling (more like a fish knadl), crispy chicken roll and a green pepper slice stuffed with shrimp. The dim sum totaled $20. Jasmine tea was served. Oriental Garden is probably a better choice at dinner. The dim sum was good, but quite compared to nearby restaurants, notably Jing Fong next door, which had seemingly endless choices.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I took the day off to run errands and it gave me an opportunity to see an artistic renaissance on upper Broadway. After a hiatus of several years, Citarella’s, the long-established fish/meat/gourmet market, next door to Fairway, has returned fish art to its window. A sloping board the width of the window is covered by raw fish and shellfish arranged in a almost-symmetrical pattern. Bordered by bright green greens (bright greens? bright green salad greens?), there were five different types of whole fish, salmon steak, salmon filet, filet of sole, swordfish steak, two sizes of fresh shrimp, scallops, and oysters pleasingly arrayed. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out. It’s a visual treat without an admission charge. Bring your own tartar sauce.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sun Sai Gai Restaurant, 220 Canal Street, at a distance, might be a terrible choice. Sitting at the intersection of Canal Street and Baxter Street, it is probably passed by more people than any other restaurant in Chinatown. Canal Street, where about a half-dozen subway lines stop, is empty of Chinese restaurants from Broadway to the Bowery. Jewelry and souvenir shops occupy most of the space along with banks and cellular phone stores. Foot traffic is very high; homeboys, local workers and tourists make it impossible to stop and smell the roses.
Up closer, you see that the big sign over the storefront gives as much space to Vietnamese as Chinese. The restaurant has the alternate name of Nha Hang Tan The Gioi (missing accents over every vowel), which we all know translates into "Service Cave of the Spreading, Fragrant Rose-Apple Tree." Service cave probably means eating establishment in the vernacular. The menu, too, puts Chinese and Vietnamese (languages) side by side, although the food is definitely Chinese. Maybe this was enough to keep hordes of tourists out in spite of the location. On one side as you enter the smallish space is a bakery counter with sweet and savory items for takeout only. On the other side, amid the typical hanging ducks, ribs and chickens, 3 cooks prepared lunch.
I ordered Beef Yi Mein ($6.50) after learning from the waiter that Yi Mein is a long noodle, similar to Lo Mein that is fried and then boiled, the opposite of pan fried noodles. This gives them a wrinkly finish. The beef was good, but the thin brown sauce was so bland that I gave it a few hits of soy sauce and Red Devil sauce, conveniently on the table. Even with those touches, the only lasting impression left by the dish were spots on my tie and shirt.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wrong twice in 24 hours. New Hon Wong Restaurant, 244 Canal Street is a second Chinese restaurant on Canal Street and has even more people walking by it than Sun Sai Gai, one half block away. New Hon Wong, between Lafayette and Centre Streets, sits opposite an exit from the #6 line uptown, connected underground to the J, M, Z, N, Q, R and W lines. With that, it was not bulging with tourists; about ½ the customers were Chinese. Its menu focuses on soups, meat over rice, noodles and notably includes egg foo yong, a dish I’ve come to appreciate in my second half century. Because I was in a hurry, I ordered baby shrimp fried rice ($6.50) and was quite satisfied. The rice was fried, but not greasy; egg and baby shrimp were in evidence. The portion was medium-sized, ample. The rent on that very busy location kept their generosity slightly in check which was OK because I was on the subway headed to Century 21 to shop for striped ties about 30 minutes after I left my desk.
Shanghai Asian Manor, 21 Mott Street sits on top of Hop Kee sharing the same address. It is a sister to Shanghai Asian Cuisine where I ate 3 weeks ago. It turned out to be a good choice, although I went there because it was close to the courthouse and the drizzle I found on the street was not visible from the window of my office on the fifth floor, so I went without an umbrella. The restaurant is only a couple of months old and still looks fresh. There are 5 booths along one wall which caused me to reflect on the absence of booths in Chinatown restaurants, but the presence of booths in Indian restaurants throughout Manhattan. Why is that?
There were also 7 tables for four, 2 for one and 2 round tables that could hold eight. The tables and chairs were a dark-stained wood with black leather(like) upholstery. Three large, illuminated photographs of food replaced the usual pictures of the Li River, but they were easily ignored.
The menu included dim sum to order as well as a variety of dishes with Shanghai in their name. Given the weather, I ordered Shanghai Won Ton soup ($4.95) and a scallion pancake ($2.25). The soup was good, the Won Ton especially tasty with a filling that tasted like shredded chicken and spinach rather than the customary pork and leek. The scallion pancake rates special notice; it had been fried to a crisp, but just so you could break it apart, not pull it apart.
Service was uneven, however. As soon as I sat down, the waitress came to take my order, before I had opened the menu. Once I decided, though, I was left alone giving me plenty of time to reconsider without anyone approaching me. This treatment was not reserved for me alone; three Chinese women at the next table waited as long for someone to give them a check. Maybe all customers look alike.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I’ve waited for a special occasion to return to Oriental Garden Restaurant, 14 Elizabeth Street, which gets a favorable mention in the Michelin Red guide to New York. A visit from Michael Ratner is certainly special and we sat down to several dim sum dishes, shrimp/pork steamed dumpling and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, before ordering jumbo shrimps in black bean sauce, a regular main course ($18.95). This consisted of 9 jumbo shrimp in a pungent, but not overly salty, black bean sauce, stir fried with onions.
Besides the one woman rolling around the relatively small room with steamed buns and dumplings, waiters bring dim sum from the kitchen as you order them from the menu. We had a different shrimp/pork bun rolled in shredded wheat, fish dumpling (more like a fish knadl), crispy chicken roll and a green pepper slice stuffed with shrimp. The dim sum totaled $20. Jasmine tea was served. Oriental Garden is probably a better choice at dinner. The dim sum was good, but quite compared to nearby restaurants, notably Jing Fong next door, which had seemingly endless choices.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I took the day off to run errands and it gave me an opportunity to see an artistic renaissance on upper Broadway. After a hiatus of several years, Citarella’s, the long-established fish/meat/gourmet market, next door to Fairway, has returned fish art to its window. A sloping board the width of the window is covered by raw fish and shellfish arranged in a almost-symmetrical pattern. Bordered by bright green greens (bright greens? bright green salad greens?), there were five different types of whole fish, salmon steak, salmon filet, filet of sole, swordfish steak, two sizes of fresh shrimp, scallops, and oysters pleasingly arrayed. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out. It’s a visual treat without an admission charge. Bring your own tartar sauce.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sun Sai Gai Restaurant, 220 Canal Street, at a distance, might be a terrible choice. Sitting at the intersection of Canal Street and Baxter Street, it is probably passed by more people than any other restaurant in Chinatown. Canal Street, where about a half-dozen subway lines stop, is empty of Chinese restaurants from Broadway to the Bowery. Jewelry and souvenir shops occupy most of the space along with banks and cellular phone stores. Foot traffic is very high; homeboys, local workers and tourists make it impossible to stop and smell the roses.
Up closer, you see that the big sign over the storefront gives as much space to Vietnamese as Chinese. The restaurant has the alternate name of Nha Hang Tan The Gioi (missing accents over every vowel), which we all know translates into "Service Cave of the Spreading, Fragrant Rose-Apple Tree." Service cave probably means eating establishment in the vernacular. The menu, too, puts Chinese and Vietnamese (languages) side by side, although the food is definitely Chinese. Maybe this was enough to keep hordes of tourists out in spite of the location. On one side as you enter the smallish space is a bakery counter with sweet and savory items for takeout only. On the other side, amid the typical hanging ducks, ribs and chickens, 3 cooks prepared lunch.
I ordered Beef Yi Mein ($6.50) after learning from the waiter that Yi Mein is a long noodle, similar to Lo Mein that is fried and then boiled, the opposite of pan fried noodles. This gives them a wrinkly finish. The beef was good, but the thin brown sauce was so bland that I gave it a few hits of soy sauce and Red Devil sauce, conveniently on the table. Even with those touches, the only lasting impression left by the dish were spots on my tie and shirt.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wrong twice in 24 hours. New Hon Wong Restaurant, 244 Canal Street is a second Chinese restaurant on Canal Street and has even more people walking by it than Sun Sai Gai, one half block away. New Hon Wong, between Lafayette and Centre Streets, sits opposite an exit from the #6 line uptown, connected underground to the J, M, Z, N, Q, R and W lines. With that, it was not bulging with tourists; about ½ the customers were Chinese. Its menu focuses on soups, meat over rice, noodles and notably includes egg foo yong, a dish I’ve come to appreciate in my second half century. Because I was in a hurry, I ordered baby shrimp fried rice ($6.50) and was quite satisfied. The rice was fried, but not greasy; egg and baby shrimp were in evidence. The portion was medium-sized, ample. The rent on that very busy location kept their generosity slightly in check which was OK because I was on the subway headed to Century 21 to shop for striped ties about 30 minutes after I left my desk.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sixteenth Week
Monday, April 19, 2010
Something’s cooking at the courthouse and I don’t mean chop suey. Most of the portico is blocked off by plywood installed over the weekend. Behind the plywood barriers, I could see dozens of klieg lights with colored filters sitting on the ground as if a sound and light show were planned. Maybe Rudy Giuliani plans to announce his next divorce from the courthouse steps with appropriate dramatic effects.
Ken’s Asian Taste, 40 Bowery did not immediately attract me, the name, the location just off the heavily-trafficked intersection with Canal Street. But, I’m a man on a mission, so I entered this medium-sized restaurant and found some excellent dim sum. One side of the restaurant had round tables, where I was seated at one with a young Chinese couple, and the other rectangles for up to four people. There were only two or three women pushing carts (why is it always women?), so I considered ordering off the lunch special menu which had some interesting choices. However, the attractive array of dim sum dishes that the young (skinny) couple had enticed me. Also, when the young woman (closer to a girl) told the waiter to bring me a fork, I had to step up and show my facility with chopsticks handling all sorts of sizes and shapes of food from the carts.
I picked shrimp shu mei (4 pieces), steamed vegetable dumpling (3 pieces) and a flaky baked roast pork roll, close in size to an egg roll (3 pieces). I noticed two styles of chicken feet, but deferred. All the items were very good and, in the end, inexpensive, $7.15 tax included.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A memo informed us that the courthouse is being decorated for the Vanity Fair/Tribeca Film Festival opening gala to be held tonight, not to set the stage for another Giuliani divorce announcement. We are not invited, which does not surprise us. Almost no one who works in this building is skinny enough to fit in with the VF/TFF crowd.
There was other excitement as I walked to Fuleen Seafood Restaurant, 11 Division Street. At 16 Bowery, Golden Manna, a new bakery, was opening and, apparently, giving out free food, not just fortune cookies and cupcakes. People were emerging with spareribs, chicken and stuff, which accounted for the long line of folks outside waiting to get in. Besides the people, a row of tall plants festooned with red ribbons stood in front of the restaurant. Since the line of people wasn’t moving much faster than the line of plants, I decided to skip the free lunch.
Fuleen is medium-sized, underdecorated except for the back wall almost entirely covered by a golden phoenix, a golden dragon and large golden Chinese letters on a dark red backdrop. The kitchen is downstairs with the dumbwaiter in constant motion bringing food packed for takeout to the main floor. I wondered if they weren’t catering to Golden Manna across the street. True to its name, the restaurant features the usual shrimp, scallops, crabs and fish of the sea along with frogs, turtles, snails, clams. Many pages of the menu had color photographs of the dishes which was helpful to me, although I was the only non-Chinese customer. I ordered shrimp and chicken with honey walnuts, stir-fried with celery, mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers and ginger ($11.95). A small bowl of murky but tasty soup was included; rice was $1 more. When the manager placed a fork at my place I proceeded to eat all the good food with chopsticks.
Fuleen is mentioned favorably in the Michelin Red guide to New York restaurants, but a housecleaning (or disinfecting) is needed to maintain its good standing. There was a distinct odor of mildew or dirty laundry or both where I sat, and I was not placed in a special section for round-eyes only. I was at a table with two very Chinese men.
On the way back, I saw about two dozen cameramen and reporters perched in front of the federal courthouse next door. They were waiting for the emergence of a big movie star who was attending his son’s sentencing on a serious drug rap. I was sorry that this talented actor and his family were enduring such difficulties, but I was at least equally sorry that two dozen graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism or the Connecticut School of Broadcasting were waiting on the sidewalk to produce 15 to 20 seconds of footage. O tempora, o mores.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
All traces of the decorations, lights, stage and other paraphernalia associated with last night’s gala were gone from the courthouse this morning when I arrived. That was pretty fast.
Grand Harmony Restaurant, 98 Mott Street is a big place, almost one half block square. On the back wall, a golden phoenix faced a golden dragon making me wonder if they had relocated from Fuleen overnight. They hung on a red backdrop with the Chinese word/sign/symbol for harmony between them. The restaurant was near full of Chinese folk and very noisy. While it was serving dim sum, I ordered from the lunch menu which listed only noodles, rice and soup. However, a full menu was available upon request. I avoided dim sum primarily to avoid over-stuffing myself (stuffing goes without saying), because I’m going to a work-related dinner tonight and want to get my money’s worth.
I ordered Ha Mon mei fun to determine how it differs from Singapore mei fun and because it uses every vowel in a very efficient fashion. It turned out to be identical to Singapore mei fun, very thin noodles, egg, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, except lacking the curry taste. But, without the curry taste, the noodles had no taste until I splashed on some soy sauce. It was a very large portion for $9.95 (they didn’t add tax). Ordering dim sum might not have produced a better result if only because two carts seemed to be circling the very large room at any time serving a large crowd and I might still be waiting for my sticky rice.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
It’s take your child(ren) to work day at the courthouse, but I only realized it once I arrived. That simply did not afford me enough time to turn around and go to Astoria, round up Boaz, get him up to speed on promissory estoppel and arrive at work at a decent hour. So, I did without.
South China Garden Chinese Restaurant, 22 Elizabeth Street, occupies a long rectangular space with a mirror the length of one long wall and big, illuminated color photographs of the Li River facing it. The Li River lends itself to great photography; I’ll have to append a picture or two I took there 2 years ago. SCGCR was noisy and near full with Chinese customers, many at large round tables. I ordered from the lunch menu, $6.95 for all dishes with soup (a medium bowl of that same murky green soup I had yesterday, but thick with green leafy vegetables), white rice and tea, of course. My main course was Satay Beef which I imagined as or close to beef strips on a stick with a peanutty sauce, origins in Indonesia/Malaysia according to www.dictionary.com. Instead,it was beef strips stir-fried in black-bean-less black bean sauce with green and red peppers, onions and pineapple chunks. I did not resort to www.disappointment.com, because this was a very tasty dish served in a large portion. The pineapple chunks, while from a can, had really been cooked into the dish blending with the other flavors. C U L8R SCGCR.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wing Wong Restaurant, 111 Lafayette Street, may be related to Big Wing Wong on Mott Street, but not Big Wong on Mott Street. I'll explore this further. Wing Wong is small and cramped attracting regulars and tourists because it is 3 doors south of Canal Street. It doesn't look like much from the outside, where it has 32 life-size color photos of dishes pasted on the storefront and windows, and on the inside where you mostly see people sitting at 9 tables of varying sizes. It also seemed to be doing a big take-out business. I ordered beef with pan fried noodles (I knew we were having chicken for dinner). It was a large serving ($8.25) with very fine noodles lightly fried to a crisp, covered with slices of beef, carrots, green leafy vegetables. The sauce, not as tangy or salty as black bean sauce, softened the noodles as I stirred the plate around for a very nice effect.
I left work after lunch to attend a memorial service at Columbia University School of Public Health for Alan (The other Alan) Berkman, MD, who was vice chair of the department of epidemiology when he died last year. Alan had long struggles with different cancers for the last 25 years of his remarkable life. Over a third of that time, he was a high security prisoner in federal and state jails. I knew him since 1964. Read this if the FBI doesn't monitor your in-box: http://www.thebody.com/content/art30601.html. Read this if it does: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/nyregion/15berkman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=alan%20berkman&st=cse.
Something’s cooking at the courthouse and I don’t mean chop suey. Most of the portico is blocked off by plywood installed over the weekend. Behind the plywood barriers, I could see dozens of klieg lights with colored filters sitting on the ground as if a sound and light show were planned. Maybe Rudy Giuliani plans to announce his next divorce from the courthouse steps with appropriate dramatic effects.
Ken’s Asian Taste, 40 Bowery did not immediately attract me, the name, the location just off the heavily-trafficked intersection with Canal Street. But, I’m a man on a mission, so I entered this medium-sized restaurant and found some excellent dim sum. One side of the restaurant had round tables, where I was seated at one with a young Chinese couple, and the other rectangles for up to four people. There were only two or three women pushing carts (why is it always women?), so I considered ordering off the lunch special menu which had some interesting choices. However, the attractive array of dim sum dishes that the young (skinny) couple had enticed me. Also, when the young woman (closer to a girl) told the waiter to bring me a fork, I had to step up and show my facility with chopsticks handling all sorts of sizes and shapes of food from the carts.
I picked shrimp shu mei (4 pieces), steamed vegetable dumpling (3 pieces) and a flaky baked roast pork roll, close in size to an egg roll (3 pieces). I noticed two styles of chicken feet, but deferred. All the items were very good and, in the end, inexpensive, $7.15 tax included.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A memo informed us that the courthouse is being decorated for the Vanity Fair/Tribeca Film Festival opening gala to be held tonight, not to set the stage for another Giuliani divorce announcement. We are not invited, which does not surprise us. Almost no one who works in this building is skinny enough to fit in with the VF/TFF crowd.
There was other excitement as I walked to Fuleen Seafood Restaurant, 11 Division Street. At 16 Bowery, Golden Manna, a new bakery, was opening and, apparently, giving out free food, not just fortune cookies and cupcakes. People were emerging with spareribs, chicken and stuff, which accounted for the long line of folks outside waiting to get in. Besides the people, a row of tall plants festooned with red ribbons stood in front of the restaurant. Since the line of people wasn’t moving much faster than the line of plants, I decided to skip the free lunch.
Fuleen is medium-sized, underdecorated except for the back wall almost entirely covered by a golden phoenix, a golden dragon and large golden Chinese letters on a dark red backdrop. The kitchen is downstairs with the dumbwaiter in constant motion bringing food packed for takeout to the main floor. I wondered if they weren’t catering to Golden Manna across the street. True to its name, the restaurant features the usual shrimp, scallops, crabs and fish of the sea along with frogs, turtles, snails, clams. Many pages of the menu had color photographs of the dishes which was helpful to me, although I was the only non-Chinese customer. I ordered shrimp and chicken with honey walnuts, stir-fried with celery, mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers and ginger ($11.95). A small bowl of murky but tasty soup was included; rice was $1 more. When the manager placed a fork at my place I proceeded to eat all the good food with chopsticks.
Fuleen is mentioned favorably in the Michelin Red guide to New York restaurants, but a housecleaning (or disinfecting) is needed to maintain its good standing. There was a distinct odor of mildew or dirty laundry or both where I sat, and I was not placed in a special section for round-eyes only. I was at a table with two very Chinese men.
On the way back, I saw about two dozen cameramen and reporters perched in front of the federal courthouse next door. They were waiting for the emergence of a big movie star who was attending his son’s sentencing on a serious drug rap. I was sorry that this talented actor and his family were enduring such difficulties, but I was at least equally sorry that two dozen graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism or the Connecticut School of Broadcasting were waiting on the sidewalk to produce 15 to 20 seconds of footage. O tempora, o mores.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
All traces of the decorations, lights, stage and other paraphernalia associated with last night’s gala were gone from the courthouse this morning when I arrived. That was pretty fast.
Grand Harmony Restaurant, 98 Mott Street is a big place, almost one half block square. On the back wall, a golden phoenix faced a golden dragon making me wonder if they had relocated from Fuleen overnight. They hung on a red backdrop with the Chinese word/sign/symbol for harmony between them. The restaurant was near full of Chinese folk and very noisy. While it was serving dim sum, I ordered from the lunch menu which listed only noodles, rice and soup. However, a full menu was available upon request. I avoided dim sum primarily to avoid over-stuffing myself (stuffing goes without saying), because I’m going to a work-related dinner tonight and want to get my money’s worth.
I ordered Ha Mon mei fun to determine how it differs from Singapore mei fun and because it uses every vowel in a very efficient fashion. It turned out to be identical to Singapore mei fun, very thin noodles, egg, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, except lacking the curry taste. But, without the curry taste, the noodles had no taste until I splashed on some soy sauce. It was a very large portion for $9.95 (they didn’t add tax). Ordering dim sum might not have produced a better result if only because two carts seemed to be circling the very large room at any time serving a large crowd and I might still be waiting for my sticky rice.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
It’s take your child(ren) to work day at the courthouse, but I only realized it once I arrived. That simply did not afford me enough time to turn around and go to Astoria, round up Boaz, get him up to speed on promissory estoppel and arrive at work at a decent hour. So, I did without.
South China Garden Chinese Restaurant, 22 Elizabeth Street, occupies a long rectangular space with a mirror the length of one long wall and big, illuminated color photographs of the Li River facing it. The Li River lends itself to great photography; I’ll have to append a picture or two I took there 2 years ago. SCGCR was noisy and near full with Chinese customers, many at large round tables. I ordered from the lunch menu, $6.95 for all dishes with soup (a medium bowl of that same murky green soup I had yesterday, but thick with green leafy vegetables), white rice and tea, of course. My main course was Satay Beef which I imagined as or close to beef strips on a stick with a peanutty sauce, origins in Indonesia/Malaysia according to www.dictionary.com. Instead,it was beef strips stir-fried in black-bean-less black bean sauce with green and red peppers, onions and pineapple chunks. I did not resort to www.disappointment.com, because this was a very tasty dish served in a large portion. The pineapple chunks, while from a can, had really been cooked into the dish blending with the other flavors. C U L8R SCGCR.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wing Wong Restaurant, 111 Lafayette Street, may be related to Big Wing Wong on Mott Street, but not Big Wong on Mott Street. I'll explore this further. Wing Wong is small and cramped attracting regulars and tourists because it is 3 doors south of Canal Street. It doesn't look like much from the outside, where it has 32 life-size color photos of dishes pasted on the storefront and windows, and on the inside where you mostly see people sitting at 9 tables of varying sizes. It also seemed to be doing a big take-out business. I ordered beef with pan fried noodles (I knew we were having chicken for dinner). It was a large serving ($8.25) with very fine noodles lightly fried to a crisp, covered with slices of beef, carrots, green leafy vegetables. The sauce, not as tangy or salty as black bean sauce, softened the noodles as I stirred the plate around for a very nice effect.
I left work after lunch to attend a memorial service at Columbia University School of Public Health for Alan (The other Alan) Berkman, MD, who was vice chair of the department of epidemiology when he died last year. Alan had long struggles with different cancers for the last 25 years of his remarkable life. Over a third of that time, he was a high security prisoner in federal and state jails. I knew him since 1964. Read this if the FBI doesn't monitor your in-box: http://www.thebody.com/content/art30601.html. Read this if it does: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/nyregion/15berkman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=alan%20berkman&st=cse.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tea Party
Since I go to a Chinese restaurant for lunch almost every weekday, and am white, over 45, more educated than average, earning more than average (but let’s not get carried away), I am a natural candidate for the Tea Party according to my reading of the latest survey data. So, I started thinking about the sort of lean and mean government that our Constitution had in mind before the socialists began to mess with it with their funny ideas from the French Revolution. Get rid of all services feeding off the public teat and allow the American people to do the jobs themselves reserving our substantially-decreased tax dollars for:
. US Air Force and any helicopter (they’re cool)
. Lenox, MA police department (Tanglewood traffic is miserable)
. #7 train to Citifield (easiest way to get there)
. Law Department of Supreme Court of New York County (for the even-handed administration of justice)
. US Air Force and any helicopter (they’re cool)
. Lenox, MA police department (Tanglewood traffic is miserable)
. #7 train to Citifield (easiest way to get there)
. Law Department of Supreme Court of New York County (for the even-handed administration of justice)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Fifteenth Week
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ken Klein, attorney, wit and generous soul, joined me for lunch. It was in none of these capacities that he was in the vicinity, but rather as juror in a criminal case at 100 Centre Street. We went to Mandarin Court at 61 Mott Street, a restaurant I’ve been to many times before. Dim sum is served at lunch time, but the long, relatively narrow space inhibits the wagon flow a bit when it is at its busiest. We compromised, ordering from the lunch special menu, $5.95, he bean curd, chicken and salted fish, me General Tso’s chicken, and picked three dishes from the carts, chicken shu mei, steamed vegetable roll and steamed spinach dumpling, at $2.50 each. The food was only average good, but we enjoyed conversation so much, it was secondary.
I was delayed leaving 60 Centre Street to meet Ken because I ran into another WES member, a very successful lawyer. When her client, a distinguished business type, heard my name he piped right up, "The famous Swiss author." You see, until now, the most famous literary Gotthelf was Jeremiah Gotthelf, the nom-de-plume of a 19th Century Swiss clergyman who wrote of the scenic Swiss countryside. His work is still read in Swiss schools, said Mr. Client, where this gentleman brushed up on his Gotthelf.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
I’m not sure how to count, 51 Bayard Street, in compiling my list of Chinese restaurants. First, it has two names, the alternate is Tao Hot Pot Restaurant, which appears on the neon sign in the window and on the check. Else, on the menus, in-house and take-out, Happy Time Café is the name. Incidentally, a search of the internet finds no Tao Hot Pot, but Happy Times Café in Melville, NY; http://happytimecafe.net/, the blog of Cynthia Enciso, a graphics designer from southern California; and http://www.happytime-cafe.com/, an internet, ping pong, billiards and darts café, open 24 hours daily somewhere in Japan.
The Japanese connection may not be an accident, since almost half the menu at Happy Time is devoted to Japanese food, mostly sushi and sashimi with some udon, teriyaki and tempura thrown in. The rest of the menu, however, was not what you might call echte Chinese. It included Swiss Chicken Wings, "Borsch soup," Toast with Peanut Butter, Baked Ham & Shredded Chicken in Alfredo Sauce over Rice (Alfredo also covered salmon, tuna, shrimp, fish filet and baked chicken & mushroom), and various dishes with Portuguese sauce. So, what’s the count – 2, 1 or maybe ½ a Chinese restaurant?
I ordered Baked Chicken in Portuguese Sauce over Spaghetti, not lo mein which appears elsewhere on the menu, but spaghetti. Of course, one man’s lo mein is another man’s spaghetti. For $5.95, I was served a big round plate containing chicken, onions, potatoes, mushrooms generously arrayed over spaghetti in a light cheese sauce. While I’ve never been to Portugal, I was surprised by the cheese. It was quite good, if a little odd. Also odd were the plastic glasses that tea was served in, the kind you might use when brushing your teeth. Maybe that explains why, with about 20 tables with enough room each for four people, I was the fourth person in the restaurant before two customers entered and three left.
If I return, it will be to order the Evil Fried Rice at $6.50, which I only noticed when I read the take-out menu later.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
I thought about beef with ginger and scallions last night, a long-time favorite dish that I realized I haven’t eaten in a long time. I was pleased I ordered it at X.O. Café & Grill, 96 Walker Street, because that was the only thing I found pleasing there. The restaurant sprawls over three rooms; there must have been separate businesses there once upon a time. The waiters appeared in fits and starts although the restaurant was no more than half full. I had to ask for tea. Ask for tea which was served in toothbrush glasses just like yesterday at Happy Time Café. Correction – today, the plastic glasses were larger and all the same color.
A medium/large portion of beef with ginger and scallion ($11.95) came out sizzling hot on a platter and tasted just right. When I ate all the solids, I dumped rice onto the platter to sop up the tangy sauce. The rice cost a buck extra, by the way. X.O. spells take-out.
Thursday, April 15, 2010 (Don’t ask)
Golden Bowl, 51 Division Street. I headed directly to Division Street (I have no idea what it once divided), because I realized, in spite of my wanderings through Chinatown, I had not been on Division Street for many years. Once, it was a favored destination because of the Canton Restaurant, a very popular and successful enterprise. Canton offered a gloss of sophistication with very good, yet comfortable Chinese food. It was where thousands of New Yorkers first ate minced quail rolled in a lettuce leaf.
Now, Canton long closed, Division Street contained several large restaurants featuring seafood and several tiny joints that operated in a way I had not encountered before. Golden Bowl was a small, narrow space with about ten tables for 2 or 4 people. In the window and as you immediately enter a couple of women stand over 20 or so pans of food, fish, fowl, vegetables, tofu, eggs. You ask for, or in my case, point elegantly to what you want and your server puts 2 or 3 spoonfuls on a plate. I chose sweet and sour pork (when was the last time there was sour in any sweet and sour dish?), a fried egg, roast duck and hard shell crab (I thought soft shell until I took a bite) mixed into scrambled eggs. As soon as I sat down, a bowl of a clear soup (tasting like miso soup) with cubes of a very potato-like tuber in it and a plate of rice were put on the small table where I pulled up a stool, no chairs to tempt you to linger. All together, $3.50. I didn’t notice the absence of tea, but I would have paid another half a buck if need be. The place was very busy with only Chinese customers. It was a decent cross between a cafeteria and a buffet. You don’t come away stuffed, but you got your $3.50 worth.
Sharing the same address is Yi Mei Gourmet Food Inc., seemingly identical in operation except that the food and the cash register were on the left instead of the right.
Friday, April 16, 2010
New Bo Ky Restaurant, Inc., 80 Bayard Street seems to have around a long time, or, at least, I recall seeing it for decades. It actually represents the nightmare of American foreign policy in the 1960s, an alliance between China and Vietnam. The sign over the wide storefront, the restaurant is wider than deep, is written in Vietnamese as well as Chinese and the restaurant’s business card features Pho, the traditional Vietnamese broth, and several other Vietnamese dishes. It is medium-sized, but the interior space is deceptive because of several mirrored pillars throughout. The entire kitchen is in the front window, to the left of the entrance, where four cooks chop, fry, and boil. Most of the menu consists of soups and noodles, so they do quite well in the narrow space. Speaking of narrow space, my little table was almost half covered with salt and pepper shakers, sugar dispenser, napkin holder, four different bottles of sauce and two small pots of pepper and onion relish.
Keeping with the Indochinese theme, I ordered Cambodian rice noodle soup. The very tasty broth had lots of noodles plus shrimp, pork, beef and one inch round fish balls, which if left untasted could pass for small matzah balls. This cost $5 and helped chase the chill of a sub-par Spring day. Because I was still hungry though, and to be seasonally correct and stay on theme, I ordered Vietnamese Spring rolls when I finished the soup. For $6.50, I got eight smallish Spring rolls with an excellent dipping sauce, sweet and peppery. Eight was more than I wanted to complete my meal, but, remembering history, I soldiered on.
Ken Klein, attorney, wit and generous soul, joined me for lunch. It was in none of these capacities that he was in the vicinity, but rather as juror in a criminal case at 100 Centre Street. We went to Mandarin Court at 61 Mott Street, a restaurant I’ve been to many times before. Dim sum is served at lunch time, but the long, relatively narrow space inhibits the wagon flow a bit when it is at its busiest. We compromised, ordering from the lunch special menu, $5.95, he bean curd, chicken and salted fish, me General Tso’s chicken, and picked three dishes from the carts, chicken shu mei, steamed vegetable roll and steamed spinach dumpling, at $2.50 each. The food was only average good, but we enjoyed conversation so much, it was secondary.
I was delayed leaving 60 Centre Street to meet Ken because I ran into another WES member, a very successful lawyer. When her client, a distinguished business type, heard my name he piped right up, "The famous Swiss author." You see, until now, the most famous literary Gotthelf was Jeremiah Gotthelf, the nom-de-plume of a 19th Century Swiss clergyman who wrote of the scenic Swiss countryside. His work is still read in Swiss schools, said Mr. Client, where this gentleman brushed up on his Gotthelf.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
I’m not sure how to count, 51 Bayard Street, in compiling my list of Chinese restaurants. First, it has two names, the alternate is Tao Hot Pot Restaurant, which appears on the neon sign in the window and on the check. Else, on the menus, in-house and take-out, Happy Time Café is the name. Incidentally, a search of the internet finds no Tao Hot Pot, but Happy Times Café in Melville, NY; http://happytimecafe.net/, the blog of Cynthia Enciso, a graphics designer from southern California; and http://www.happytime-cafe.com/, an internet, ping pong, billiards and darts café, open 24 hours daily somewhere in Japan.
The Japanese connection may not be an accident, since almost half the menu at Happy Time is devoted to Japanese food, mostly sushi and sashimi with some udon, teriyaki and tempura thrown in. The rest of the menu, however, was not what you might call echte Chinese. It included Swiss Chicken Wings, "Borsch soup," Toast with Peanut Butter, Baked Ham & Shredded Chicken in Alfredo Sauce over Rice (Alfredo also covered salmon, tuna, shrimp, fish filet and baked chicken & mushroom), and various dishes with Portuguese sauce. So, what’s the count – 2, 1 or maybe ½ a Chinese restaurant?
I ordered Baked Chicken in Portuguese Sauce over Spaghetti, not lo mein which appears elsewhere on the menu, but spaghetti. Of course, one man’s lo mein is another man’s spaghetti. For $5.95, I was served a big round plate containing chicken, onions, potatoes, mushrooms generously arrayed over spaghetti in a light cheese sauce. While I’ve never been to Portugal, I was surprised by the cheese. It was quite good, if a little odd. Also odd were the plastic glasses that tea was served in, the kind you might use when brushing your teeth. Maybe that explains why, with about 20 tables with enough room each for four people, I was the fourth person in the restaurant before two customers entered and three left.
If I return, it will be to order the Evil Fried Rice at $6.50, which I only noticed when I read the take-out menu later.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
I thought about beef with ginger and scallions last night, a long-time favorite dish that I realized I haven’t eaten in a long time. I was pleased I ordered it at X.O. Café & Grill, 96 Walker Street, because that was the only thing I found pleasing there. The restaurant sprawls over three rooms; there must have been separate businesses there once upon a time. The waiters appeared in fits and starts although the restaurant was no more than half full. I had to ask for tea. Ask for tea which was served in toothbrush glasses just like yesterday at Happy Time Café. Correction – today, the plastic glasses were larger and all the same color.
A medium/large portion of beef with ginger and scallion ($11.95) came out sizzling hot on a platter and tasted just right. When I ate all the solids, I dumped rice onto the platter to sop up the tangy sauce. The rice cost a buck extra, by the way. X.O. spells take-out.
Thursday, April 15, 2010 (Don’t ask)
Golden Bowl, 51 Division Street. I headed directly to Division Street (I have no idea what it once divided), because I realized, in spite of my wanderings through Chinatown, I had not been on Division Street for many years. Once, it was a favored destination because of the Canton Restaurant, a very popular and successful enterprise. Canton offered a gloss of sophistication with very good, yet comfortable Chinese food. It was where thousands of New Yorkers first ate minced quail rolled in a lettuce leaf.
Now, Canton long closed, Division Street contained several large restaurants featuring seafood and several tiny joints that operated in a way I had not encountered before. Golden Bowl was a small, narrow space with about ten tables for 2 or 4 people. In the window and as you immediately enter a couple of women stand over 20 or so pans of food, fish, fowl, vegetables, tofu, eggs. You ask for, or in my case, point elegantly to what you want and your server puts 2 or 3 spoonfuls on a plate. I chose sweet and sour pork (when was the last time there was sour in any sweet and sour dish?), a fried egg, roast duck and hard shell crab (I thought soft shell until I took a bite) mixed into scrambled eggs. As soon as I sat down, a bowl of a clear soup (tasting like miso soup) with cubes of a very potato-like tuber in it and a plate of rice were put on the small table where I pulled up a stool, no chairs to tempt you to linger. All together, $3.50. I didn’t notice the absence of tea, but I would have paid another half a buck if need be. The place was very busy with only Chinese customers. It was a decent cross between a cafeteria and a buffet. You don’t come away stuffed, but you got your $3.50 worth.
Sharing the same address is Yi Mei Gourmet Food Inc., seemingly identical in operation except that the food and the cash register were on the left instead of the right.
Friday, April 16, 2010
New Bo Ky Restaurant, Inc., 80 Bayard Street seems to have around a long time, or, at least, I recall seeing it for decades. It actually represents the nightmare of American foreign policy in the 1960s, an alliance between China and Vietnam. The sign over the wide storefront, the restaurant is wider than deep, is written in Vietnamese as well as Chinese and the restaurant’s business card features Pho, the traditional Vietnamese broth, and several other Vietnamese dishes. It is medium-sized, but the interior space is deceptive because of several mirrored pillars throughout. The entire kitchen is in the front window, to the left of the entrance, where four cooks chop, fry, and boil. Most of the menu consists of soups and noodles, so they do quite well in the narrow space. Speaking of narrow space, my little table was almost half covered with salt and pepper shakers, sugar dispenser, napkin holder, four different bottles of sauce and two small pots of pepper and onion relish.
Keeping with the Indochinese theme, I ordered Cambodian rice noodle soup. The very tasty broth had lots of noodles plus shrimp, pork, beef and one inch round fish balls, which if left untasted could pass for small matzah balls. This cost $5 and helped chase the chill of a sub-par Spring day. Because I was still hungry though, and to be seasonally correct and stay on theme, I ordered Vietnamese Spring rolls when I finished the soup. For $6.50, I got eight smallish Spring rolls with an excellent dipping sauce, sweet and peppery. Eight was more than I wanted to complete my meal, but, remembering history, I soldiered on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)